The Groundspeed of Joy
by Anastasia-G
Summary: An impossible love becomes real. A dead love lives again. After Bonnie's heart goes in different directions, how is she supposed to choose between the two halves of her happiness? A Klonnie/Bonlijah/Klelijah fic. Written for the Bonnie Bennett CommUNITY Week. (Cover art by the amazing and super-talented Nisha)
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: This started as a oneshot gift for Capesandlace during the Bonnie Bennett CommUNITY Week on Tumblr and then developed into an entire sprawling AU. Huge thanks to my beta-bae Cait for helping me plot Klaus, Bonnie and Elijah's emotional journeys, to thefudgeisgrumpy for letting me spam her with Bonlijah feels, to Annie for her summarizing skills, and last but not the least Alia (theblacksmithsdaughter) for helping me edit. I've already written the entire fic so y'all wont be left hanging! Please be warned this is an OT3 endgame fic with a side of Klaus x Elijah (so incest, essentially) and decide accordingly whether to proceed. This is my first OT3 fic and my first time writing Bonlijah and Klelijah so please leave feedback as you're able :)_**

 ** _Capesandlace: I hope you enjoy this combination of two of your OTPs._**

 ** _To the rest of the Bonnie Bennett fandom: wishing you a Happy Winter Solstice and a beautiful, brilliant New Year!_**

* * *

 ** _~o~o~_**

 _"but then what kind of scale_

 _compares the weight of two beauties_

 _the gravity of duties_

 _or the ground speed of joy?_

 _tell me what kind of gauge_

 _can quantify elation?_

 _what kind of equation_

 _could i possibly employ?"_ \- Ani DiFranco

* * *

 ** _New Orleans, Present Day_**

The ring grew warm in her palm. Hand-carved platinum with the wolf-and-bird crest Klaus had created for the Mikaelsons.

Bonnie wondered if Elijah would notice if she slipped it on. She shook her head internally. Of course he would, he never missed anything.

At the sound of his echoing footsteps she hastily shut the ring in her jewelry box. Elijah appeared in her gilt-framed vanity mirror, immaculate as always in a dark suit. His emerald green tie matched her silk evening dress.

She stood, gathering her clutch, "Are they asleep?"

She loved the twins more than life itself but bedtime was Elijah's responsibility. "Yes, at long last. Mirah drives a hard bargain, no less than three stories in exchange for an early bedtime. Mateo, predictably, fell asleep halfway through the first one," he adjusted his cufflink as he spoke, but even his carefully modulated voice couldn't mask the affection underneath.

"That's because she's been eavesdropping on our council meetings again," Bonnie said, checking her earrings and slipping on gold stilettos. Silk whispered around her ankles as she turned, "I'll use a soundproof spell next time...," she trailed off, noticing his stare, "what?"

A slow half-smile graced his face, "Forgive me, I was simply admiring the vision you make in that dress."

Normally, she would've returned the compliment, perhaps adjusted his tie, kissed him so he'd have to stain his handkerchief wiping her lipstick off. But she didn't feel normal today. She instinctively thumbed the bare finger on her left hand. Elijah had never given her a ring, and she'd never asked. It was a tacit agreement between them.

Her husband walked slowly to her side, grazing her cheek with his fingertip, "What troubles you?"

His voice was deep and soft like velvet, his broad shoulders towering above her even while she was wearing heels. She wanted to sway into him, feel his powerful arm around her while she rested on his chest. Elijah, her lighthouse in the storm.

Bonnie bit her lip, "It's nothing. I'll meet you downstairs."

She brushed past him and out their room. He knew, of course. He had to know. There were no secrets between them, just silences waiting to be broken.

* * *

 ** _Mystic Falls, 8 years ago_**

Bonnie surveyed the ballroom of the Mikaelson manner with satisfaction. Fairy lights, red silk banners and fresh-cut wreaths adorned the space. The guests would soon arrive, vampires, werewolves, the remnants of the Founders and even a few humans, to celebrate the end of the Heretics and the restoration of their small town. She exhaled slowly at the thought. This was the first time she was facing Mystic Falls writ large since she'd left for New Orleans. Sure, she'd helped save the little town, again. But people could be fickle with their saviours, especially when they arrived on the arms of a former enemy.

"Feeling nervous are we?" Klaus came up behind her, reading her thoughts like he always did.

"A little," she admitted, turning around in her floor-length blue dress, "hey, where's your suit?"

He made an exaggerated face and pulled her into his arms, "I don't see why I have to put on a bloody tie to meet the Guild of Village Idiots," he bent to kiss her neck, slowly, lingering over her pulse, "I'd much rather help you out of this dress."

"Klaus..," she protested, but not very convincingly, because in a flash he'd whisked her upstairs to their bedroom. She stumbled a bit in her heels and fell against his shoulders.

"You know I hate vamp-speed," she complained, feeling slightly dizzy. Her motion sickness was a real thing. He'd made the mistake of blurring her somewhere once after a night of drinking and she'd thrown up all over his shirt. Klaus being Klaus had teased her mercilessly until one day she hit him with a stomach turning spell resulting in blood all over Elijah's antique rug.

"My apologies, love," he walked her towards a plush chair and carefully pulled her onto his lap. She curled up into him while he stroked her hair, suddenly tired and grateful for his arms around her. The last few weeks dealing with the Heretics had taken more out of her than she realized.

"Do you think they're really gone?" she murmured, toying with one of his beaded necklaces.

"I quite clearly remember you eviscerating them with a flick of your wrist."

"It took a bit more than that," she remarked, dryly, knowing his casual comment contained a deep reverence for her power. "And now what?"

"Back to New Orleans, love. Some loose ends need tying up."

Bonnie raised her head, instantly on alert, "Klaus-,"

"It's not what you're thinking, love."

"It's Tristan isn't it?" she didn't even bother pretending to consider his bluff, "you promised me-,"

"That I would protect you," he grasped her cheek and aligned their gazes so she could see the vehemence of his words. She knew that look. "whatever the cost. And that means taking Tristan out once and for all."

Once upon a time that look in his eyes would've elicited a very different reaction from her. Once upon a time she would've run from this kind of ruthless determination. Now she was drawn to it like to a harbor on a stormy night.

Touching his hand she leaned into the touch. "Don't underestimate him. He's a snake, and we have no idea what he's been doing all this time."

"Trust me, darling," he murmured against her jaw, "Elijah and I have a plan, a very clever one too."

Bonnie sighed, "Great. Another installment of The Hardy Boys."

Klaus raised an amused eyebrow, "I think it's _you_ doing the underestimating love."

"I just don't want things to get crazier than they already are," she protested, "You and Elijah get this thing about family and loyalty and you don't know when to stop. I-," he covered her mouth with his, kissing her coaxingly, rubbing slow circles into her back. She shivered in her flimsy dress.

"You can't kiss away my arguments," she mumbled.

"No harm in trying."

"Klaus...,"

He touched their foreheads together so his eyes filled her whole world, "I promise you, when this is over I'll lay New Orleans at your feet like cloths of gold."

And just like that she was light-headed again. Klaus had that effect on her.

She didn't know then how it would all come crashing down. How patient gravity could be.

* * *

 ** _New Orleans, Louisiana, 4 years ago_**

Elijah pulled out her chair and tucked her into her seat. She observed him as he sat down across from her. He wore a navy blue suit with a crisp white shirt, collar open, no tie. Casual, for Elijah.

"This place is deserted," she glanced around the plush little Italian bistro.

"Yes I urged the owner to close to the public tonight."

She raised an eyebrow, "Urged?"

"He found my reasons quite _compelling_."

"Of course," she looked down at her menu. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten at a restaurant. Taking care of twins while simultaneously navigating the supernatural politics of New Orleans didn't leave her much leisure time.

"I'd recommend the gnocchi di ricotta. The chef uses an old family recipe."

Her stomach rumbled, giving her away. "Sorry. Haven't had anything to eat since breakfast."

Concern furrowed his brow, "Are you unwell?"

"No, no," she added quickly, then admitted, "just tired."

She had to drop her gaze from his dark-eyed one. Elijah always made her feel like she was transparent as glass. His fingers brushed her hand, the lightest touch, and she looked up.

"What if I looked after the children this weekend? You could drive to Mystic Falls and see your friends."

"That's...," Bonnie opened and closed her mouth, bowled over by his offer, "...that's sweet but I couldn't do that to you. There's still so much going on and-" It wasn't just the gargantuan task of taking care of twin one-year-olds with budding magic, or dealing with the aftermath of the bloodline war that Lucien and the Strix, but with Klaus gone all the supernatural factions in New Orleans were vying for power.

Elijah laid his next to hers and caressed her knuckles, his touch still feather-light but warm and reassuring. "When was the last time you had a full night's sleep?"

She sighed, managing a smile, "I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me."

"So you'll take the weekend to yourself?"

"I don't think-,"

"Are you worried I won't know my way around diapers and midnight feedings?"

She cracked a grin at that, "You sure you want spit-up on those Armani suits?"

"My clothes have seen worse wear, I assure you."

She relented and they ate their dinner in almost comfortable silence. The weekend rolled around and although she was hard pressed to part with her babies, her mood lightened once she was driving down the highway with the wind in her hair. Caroline was thrilled by her visit and they spent the weekend getting their nails done, watching bad movies and eating ice cream in their pajamas.

Bonnie got back to New Orleans late on Sunday. An unexpected road closure had set her back and she burst into the house expecting all manner of chaos awaiting her.

It was quiet.

"Elijah?" she walked slowly past the foyer and into the dining room. The kitchen, she noticed, was scrupulously clean.

No one answered. Mild panic started to set in. She should never have left town. Elijah could take care of himself but there were so many people who wanted to get their hands on her children, and after what happened to Klaus, well, she no longer believed anyone invincible.

Heart pounding she rounded the corner into the living room and stopped in her tracks.

Elijah lay prone on the couch in his pants and dress shirt, eyes closed. Mateo was sleeping facedown on the Original's chest, held carefully in place. Mirah was sprawled across his leg, holding tight to his left foot. Play doh, pacifiers and stuffed animals littered the floor around them.

A slow smile spread across her face at the serene tableau. Moving carefully between the scattered toys, she picked up a blanket and carefully covered all three of them. Elijah's eyes opened slowly and his jaw moved in a half-smile. "Welcome back."

"You realize you can't move for the next six hours right?"

He gave a slight shrug, careful not to disturb Mateo. "I have already accepted my fate. If you find yourself hungry," Elijah continued, "there is gnocchi in the fridge."

"Now this I could get used to."

Their eyes met and a contemplative look crossed his face. " It was gone as quickly as it appeared and he closed his eyes.

"Goodnight, Bonnie."

"Goodnight, Elijah."

* * *

 ** _Verbier, Switzerland, 5 years ago_**

"I wish I could go skiing," Bonnie grumbled from her position on the plush chair.

Klaus gave her swollen foot an affectionate squeeze, "Not with these little things."

She kicked his hand, and pointed at her hugely pregnant belly "This is all your fault, you know."

"And I will spend all night begging for your forgiveness," he bent to kiss the corner of her mouth.

"That's what got us into this mess," she murmured.

This holiday was a last minute surprise. She was only a few weeks away from delivering twins - a pregnancy they'd neither expected nor prepared for but welcomed as a miracle - and Klaus had insisted on whisking the whole family off to Switzerland for a last hurrah before they were elbow-deep in diapers and witch-hybrid baby shenanigans (whatever those were). Bonnie had protested at first: things were still tense in the Quarter even after they'd destroyed the alliance between Tristan, Lucien and Aurora. She'd helped imprison Aurora and Lucien in magical tombs, but Tristan had escaped and fled the country.

She grabbed his collar and pulled Klaus into a kiss. He tasted of brandy and cloves. When they pulled apart she noticed Elijah standing in a corner of the room, wearing his ski gear and discreetly averting his eyes.

"I am ready when you are, Niklaus."

Klaus rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "Coming, brother."

"Break a leg," she called out.

Klaus blew her a kiss while Elijah nodded stiffly. Klaus had somehow convinced his older brother to join them on this holiday. Elijah seemed even more severe and formal than Bonnie remembered, and she wondered if he was one of those straight-laced dudes who got uncomfortable around pregnant women.

Hours went by and the brothers didn't return. Then, a sudden blizzard swept down the mountainside. When Bonnie called and their phones went straight to voicemail, even Rebekah started to worry. Night came and went. Her back ached and her temples throbbed but Bonnie didn't leave the couch.

She tried locator spell after spell but each time the map frosted over. There was something malevolent in the blizzard, something blocking her magic.

Rebekah finally agreed to go out in search of them after Bonnie pleaded and pleaded that she'd be fine alone for a few hours. By the time her sister-in-law returned Bonnie had bitten her nails down to the quick and her back was spasming in pain.

She hurried to the door as it flew open. Rebekah stumbled in, supporting Elijah on her shoulder.

He was ashen, and there was a look of devastation on his usually stoic face that shook Bonnie to the core.

"Where's Klaus?"

Bekah approached, "Bonnie, sweetheart, sit down-,"

She repeated her question, quieter this time, looking straight at Elijah.

" _Where is he?_ "

* * *

 ** _New Orleans, 6 years ago_**

She was twirling in her flowy clementine dress, her vision full of golden lights, laughter spilling from her lips. Klaus pulled her back to him and kissed her hungrily. Her arms entwined his neck.

"Again," she said breathlessly and he obliged, spinning and releasing her so she flew across the floor on bare feet. She didn't even care about being dizzy.

On her second or third spin she caught sight of Elijah standing in the doorway and, floating up to him, flashed him a brilliant smile. "Come dance."

It was the wine from her and Klaus' Bonding ceremony talking as well as the giddy happiness of having New Orleans - their city - back. Bonnie was so full of joy she didn't want to waste a single drop.

Elijah's gaze travelled up her extended arms to rest on her face before giving a quiet smile, "Thank you, but I must be leaving."

"Oh." Klaus had told her Elijah was heading out of the country for a while. She'd almost forgotten. "In that case, safe travels." And with a breezy kiss to his cheek she was off, swirling back into Klaus' arms.

Klaus entwined their fingers so she could spin. Once. Twice. Her hair came loose from its bun and tumbled across her shoulders. She noticed Elijah still lingering by the door. There was a strange, wistful expression on his face that she'd never seen before and it struck her that he was committing this scene to memory, though for what purpose she couldn't know. One last turn and she collapsed, giggling, against Klaus' chest, and before she could protest he'd lifted her into the air for another dizzying whirl.

When her feet touched the floor she barely noticed Elijah was gone.

* * *

 ** _New Orleans, Present Day_**

"Would someone tell me what's going on?" Bonnie strode into the house, curls flying. She'd been busy meeting with a new witch coven downtown when she got the message to return to the mansion. She'd called Elijah and Rebekah but neither of them would say anything.

"Bonnie," Elijah strode quickly forwards, taking her arm, "you need to sit down."

Her mouth went dry. "Is it the twins?"

"The twins are fine," Elijah took her other elbow in his hand, his touch firm but gentle as always "they're both napping upstairs."

"Then what-,"

Words died in her throat. A figure was emerging behind Elijah's shoulder. She knew that silhouette, that sauntering walk, the arms hanging careless. She knew them like her own reflection.

Bonnie tried to speak but she couldn't feel her extremities.

"Hello, love."

The world went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Verbier, Switzerland, 5 years ago_**

Klaus was gone.

They spent two weeks scouring the mountainside with the help of vampires and werewolves and hybrids and found nothing except snow and ice. It was like the avalanche had wiped away all trace of him.

Bonnie barely slept, and only the thought of her babies pushed food into her mouth.

"You should be resting."

She jumped at the sound of Elijah's voice. It was 3 am and everyone else was asleep (or so she thought). The elder Original ambled into the living room, his shirtsleeves rolled up and a day's worth of stubble shadowing his face. He looked at her with concern.

"I should be out there looking for him," Bonnie snapped, dangling a crystal over the newest map, scrying in vain for Klaus's location.

"The locator spells aren't working," Elijah reminded her quietly.

Ignoring him, she wiped her nose and returned her focus to the map.

He bent down and grabbed her wrist, turning it over gently so she caught the glisten of blood on her fingers.

"You're bleeding."

"Thanks Captain Obvious," she snatched her hand back, "I never would've noticed if it wasn't for you."

Elijah frowned, "I know how you must feel-,"

"No you don't," she dropped the pendant and tried to stand up but it was too hard, her back was stiff as iron and she winced, falling back against the couch.

"Let me take you back to New Orleans," he offered, carefully, "you need rest-"

"I'm not leaving until we find him-," she spoke through clenched teeth. They were supposed to return to New Orleans together, her and Klaus, and await the arrival of their twins. Their children, their heirs, the flesh and blood evidence of everything they'd built together.

Elijah sat down across from her, folding his elegant hands together. In that moment she hated him, for his composure, his lack of exhaustion, his ability to move around without hindrance while she sat here immobilized by her own body.

"Whoever did this," Elijah said tentatively, "they're still out there. We cannot remain here, Bonnie."

"You mean me," she folded her arms over her swollen belly, "the Mikaelson incubator. Can't have my stupidity risking these babies lives, right?"

Something flickered across his face, and his mouth tightened. "I am only looking out for your safety."

She stood up, slow and painful, and limped past him into the bedroom. It was all too little, much too late.

* * *

 ** _Mystic Falls, 10 years ago_**

It was a glistening humid night in August and she was sipping lemonade on her porch when Klaus pulled up in his dark-blue vintage Mustang. She hadn't seen him for almost six months, not since they'd worked together ousting some hell-bent witches from New Orleans (They'd ended up locking lips a couple times too, not that she was counting.)

He sauntered up her driveway in a white tee and dark jeans, his hair already extra curly from the moisture and a faint shadow of stubble on his jaw. As he drew near Bonnie felt her mouth water and a liquid rush of heat spread through her whole body, galvanizing her out of the listlessness that had plagued her all summer.

"Cancel your plans for the evening, love. I'm in need of your witchy assistance."

She rolled her eyes at his tone, annoyed by the nonchalance, "Well when you put it that way."

He leaned against the railing, striking an indolent pose that she couldn't help but find attractive.

"Just a small favor, sweetheart. I'll even let you drive," he dangled the keys at her, and she looked at the sexy-ass car parked on the street. She'd never driven a car like that.

"Fine," she stood, dusting off her tiny, blue cotton dress, "but I'm not doing any spells involving fire. It's too damn hot already."

She didn't miss the way his eyes travelled down her legs.

Driving the Mustang was the modern day equivalent of riding a stallion bareback across sunset plains. At least that's what it felt like to Bonnie. Her mood improved, and a part of her wanted to keep driving on the highway until Mystic Falls was well behind her.

Klaus had her drive them drive to the woods by the falls. As it turned out he just needed her to harvest some St John the Conqueror root under the light of a crescent moon. No other spells or help was mentioned, and they strolled around the foods for an hour or so while she collected the herb for him. He asked her how she was doing. She mentioned she was selling her dad's house.

"Why not keep it?" he moved a branch out of her way.

"It's too big for one person. Besides, since he died there's too much old energy in that house. I need a fresh place."

"Seems we are in similar predicaments. I have just purchased a residence in New Orleans."

"Well at least one of us is moving on from Mystic Falls." She tied the herbs in a cloth bag and handed them to him.

His hand circled her wrist, pulling her closer. She couldn't make out his face in the shadows but his voice was quiet and soft, "Why did you come back to this place? It's brought you nothing but misery and loss."

Her heartbeat quickened at his nearness, his scent, his touch, the heat radiating from his body to hers. The effect he had on her senses only heightened the emotional vulnerability she felt at his words. Bonnie swallowed, "I have friends here and-"

Klaus tugged her against his chest so she was forced to crane her neck and meet his eyes. "Don't lie to me," he murmured against her cheek. His stubble tickled her sensitive skin. "what made you leave New Orleans?"

 _I was afraid ok? I was afraid of you, how you made me feel, the things you made me want. I didn't want to be left behind again, don't you see? So I ran._

"Nothing that could keep me there," she quipped.

She blinked and found herself pushed up against a tree, his hands sliding down her waist and hips, the bag of herbs forgotten on the floor. Without giving her a chance to reach, Klaus covered her mouth with his. He kissed her in a possessive in a kind of way that made her weak in the knees. And at the same time a sliver of triumph unfurled inside her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. _Who's lying now?_ He hadn't needed any witch-related help, he'd come back for her.

The victorious sensation was short-lived as she soon realized he had no intention of letting her leave these woods with any of her defenses intact. His mouth and hands were laying siege to her senses. She gasped when his hand wandered between her thighs, stroking her through her swiftly dampening panties.

"Why did you leave, little dove?" he whispered against her neck while the lazy movement of his fingers had her arching and gasping against him. He seemed to be taking her departure as a personal affront.

"Nik...please," she panted, gripping his shoulders to stay upright while grinding into his hand. Her whole body was felt like it was melting into him.

He slid to his knees in front of her, roughly parting her thighs and hooking one leg over his shoulder. Bonnie cried out when his mouth brushed her soaked panties. "Tell the truth now," he murmured. Slowly, oh so slowly, he moved the fabric aside so his breath fanned her damp flesh.

Her hands had a death-grip on his hair, giving her the illusion of control as he feasted on her. She was shivering and keening, neck thrown back, grinding into his face. He got her to the edge and pulled back, nuzzling her thigh instead. "I'm waiting, love."

"Fuck you," she bit out, except in her frustration it sounded more like a moan.

"Tsk tsk tsk," he gave her another lick, fingers stroking her from the inside, "good little Bonnie Bennett being ravished by the Original Hybrid, and out in the woods no less. What would your friends say?"

"Shut uuuup," she fisted her hands in his curls, desperate for the orgasm hovering just out of reach. When he stood up without letting her finish she almost cried. But Klaus wasn't done with her yet. In a single motion he'd hoisted her in the air and unbuckled his jeans. Her trembling legs wrapped around his waist for purchase and she could feel him at her entrance, hard and hot and as ready as she was.

"Six months," he whispered into her neck as he eased inside, filling her inch by slow inch and making them both groan, "-my patience has limits, love."

"This isn't fair," she pleaded. Klaus grasped her ass and lifted her she could take more of him. The sensation was so intense tears formed at the corners of her eyes.

"I don't play fair," he said huskily while his hand returned to her clit, caressing the spot while he moved faster. Bonnie's head fell back, unable to resist the sensual assault on her sanity.

She felt the tip of his nose against her pulse, "Trust me?"

"Yes," the word slipped out. He was the most powerful and dangerous supernatural being in the world and she was fucking him in the woods at night. Somewhere along the line she'd started to trust that, despite his many misdeeds and faults, Klaus would never truly hurt her.

Several things happened at once. Klaus bit into her neck and she cried out from the raw, piercing pleasure. She'd never been drunk from, not like this. It was like she couldn't hide anything from him, he could sense every beat of her heart every rush of her breath every pulsing thought. _Take it, this feeling of being trapped this fear this loneliness, take it from me._

He removed his fangs momentarily and opened a vein on his own wrist. Dazed, Bonnie realized what he was asking her to do. Holding on to his other shoulder for purchase, she pressed his hand to her mouth and sucked on the electric warm blood. Klaus moaned and cursed softly as she drank, then returned his teeth to her neck, taking from her while she took from him.

She could taste the desire in his blood, his desire for her, his desire for a new life in New Orleans, and it sparked her own wanting and restlessness until she scraped her nails across his back to anchor herself. Blood sharing like this was no small thing in the supernatural world. It felt like they were rooting themselves inside each other, a deep and hungry planting.

Later they went swimming in the falls under the sparse moonlight. Klaus pulled her against his chest, returning his lips to the same place on her neck.

Bonnie sighed into his embrace. "Take me away?"

She felt his triumphant grin against her shoulder, "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

 ** _New Orleans, Present Day_**

"I like what you've done with the place," Klaus surveyed the photographs over the mantlepiece, drink held casually in his hand, "whose idea were the family pictures?"

Bonnie swallowed a drink of water while Klaus surveyed the parlor. After she'd come to, she'd asked for a minute alone with Klaus. Elijah had obliged, though not without concern.

"Mateo's actually. He's obsessed with photography." She didn't say the rest, that the boy already had an artistic eye reflecting his parentage.

"The perfect family," he remarked, the faintest trace of bitterness in his voice, "how trite."

Her fingers tightened around her glass, "We looked for you, everywhere. I tried spells and-"

He turned to face her. His hair was a little longer, curlier and fluffier up top in a way that reminded her of her children's. She felt a sense of unravelling, stitch by careful stitch.

"Easy, love," his smile didn't reach his eyes, "one might think you feel guilty."

Bonnie stood up, shaking from head to toe, "How dare you. You selfish, arrogant-,"

"Selfish am I?" his lip curled, "so selfish I let myself be confined in a glacial tomb for years to protect _you_ , while you and Elijah play bloody house in my absence!"

"You're unbelievable! Elijah and I had to take care of each other, take care of our children-,"

"And I'm sure he put up a mighty protest when you begged him to fill my shoes. I hope they didn't pinch his noble feet."

"What was I supposed to do?" she shouted, her temples throbbing, "crawl across the mountains on my hands and knees looking for you? Bury myself in the snow where they last saw you? What, Klaus? I considered each and every scenario and some that you can't even imagine, but I _couldn't_ do that. It wasn't just about me anymore."

He was silent, eyes flashing. Bonnie took a deep breath and ran her hands through her hair. "I need some air."

Klaus flashed to her side and grasped her wrist.

She looked down at their hands and deja vu hit like a punch to the gut.

"Wait," he said.

Reluctantly, she let him lead her to the french doors and throw them open, bathing the room in fresh air and daylight.

They stood there in the rich warmth of a golden New Orleans afternoon. Bonnie sighed, "What do you want me to say, Klaus?"

"Nothing. Just allow me to look at you in the light."

Their eyes met and she couldn't avert her gaze. He was really here, in the flesh, still Klaus. When he brushed her cheek she leaned into the touch almost reflexively, the years between melting like ice-cream in the sun.

He stared and stared at her like he was drinking his fill, until at last she couldn't bear it anymore.

"Klaus...I have to think of Mirah and Mateo," she whispered.

"They are my children too," he responded, quietly.

"Then don't ask me to turn their lives upside down. Please."

There was a pause, and Klaus looked down at their joined hands. The pad of his thumb brushed her bare ring finger.

* * *

 ** _New Orleans, 8 Years Ago_**

Blood covered the walls and floors, splattered across the ceiling like a nightmarish Jackson Pollock painting.

Bonnie had seen her fair share of carnage but this, this would give the most hardened soul pause.

Klaus walked down the stairs, blood coating his hands and shirt. "I told you to stay home, love."

"Tristan isn't here," she whispered, trying and failing to count the bodies sprawled across the room, "what happened to me wasn't their fault."

"These upstarts," Klaus noted with cold disgust, coming to stand in front of her, "harbored Tristan and the Strix for months. Let this be a lesson to any new vampire who arrives in New Orleans with delusions of grandeur. This is my city, and my law reigns."

"I thought this was _our_ city," she said slowly, folding her arms around herself.

Klaus sighed, "Forgive my semantics, of course it's ours. All the more reason everyone knows never to touch a single hair on your head without paying the price," he gestured at the blood-stained room.

"You promised me it wouldn't come to this."

"No, I promised to make you queen," he closed the distance between them, unaware or uncaring of the blood caking his clothes and face, "welcome to royalty, love. It's a bloody business but someone's got to get their hands dirty."

"Well you should just shake hands with Tristan," she retorted, anger swirling in her veins, "He wanted people to think the Originals are unpredictable monsters that should be locked away for everyone's safety, congratulations, you just proved him right."

Ignoring the dark look in his eyes she turned on her heel and stormed off.

She didn't see him for two days. On the third night he knocked on their bedroom door, rain-soaked with the smell of bourbon clinging to him like a second skin.

"Don't even think about touching me," Bonnie admonished, before pushing him into the bath.

She was dozing on the settee when he brushed a thumb across her lips and eased her awake. Blinking, she took in the sight of her husband, wrapped in a towel, curly blond hair dripping wet, face clean and almost boyish.

He knelt by her side and cupped her cheek.

As she searched his eyes she knew he wasn't just referring to this latest misdeed. He craved her love and kindness like they were the lone ropes tethering him to humanity. It was a power she'd never asked to hold, a weakness he'd never dreamed of encountering.

Klaus entwined their fingers and brushed the ring he'd given her, his promise for their future together.

"You can't protect me from everything all the time," Bonnie said quietly, "I accepted the risks of us being together. I need you to do the same."

His mouth twisted in a self-deprecating smile, "If I'm monstrous in protecting you then so be it. At least our enemies will have an easy target for their hatred."

And there it was, the way it had always been. He put himself between her and the world like an unshakeable wall, never mind the rain and hail that might assail him. No one else, not even her own family, had ever protected her with such absolution.

It was both terrifying and addictive.

"Am I forgiven?" he asked softly.

Bonnie lifted their joined hands to her cheek, wishing she could make him understand. "I don't want anyone to try and hurt you, Nik." she whispered, using the nickname she reserved for special occasions. She knew he was well nigh indestructible, but she'd had so few certainties in her life.

She let him pull her into his arms and carry her to their bed. Holding on to his neck, she leaned a cheek on his shoulder, "Promise me you'll always be here."

"The Devil himself couldn't tear me from your side."

* * *

 ** _New Orleans, 5 years ago_**

She was one week from her due date and her mood swings so unpredictable no one wanted to be around her for long. It was fine, Bonnie prefered it that way. She couldn't stand the pitying glances and concerned looks, she'd much rather have people angry and annoyed at her. It kept her distracted from the black hole that threatened to open up in her chest whenever she thought about Klaus. Rebekah and Freya and Abby and everyone else who spent more than ten minutes with her lived to regret it. Everyone that is, except Elijah.

Elijah, who made it a point to see her several times during the day, bringing her news from the Quarter, asking her opinion on the renewed search for Tristan, calmly skimming her moods without so much as a twitch of the eyebrow.

Bonnie took a hot and cold approach, trying to see which would make him crack faster. He'd spend hours explaining the details of some new plan to find Tristan and she'd respond with a shrug. He'd outline a careful approach to tracking down any remaining Strix members and she'd demand nothing less than their heads on a platter.

She refused to let him open doors or hold chairs out for her. When he offered to help her stand up and sit down (tasks that had become frustratingly difficult the closer she got to giving birth) she rebuffed him rudely. Still, he kept extending his strong, well-groomed hand.

One such time she set his wrist on fire and watched in grim satisfaction as he hurriedly doused his hand in a carafe of water. She was sure this was it, the breaking point. He abhorred rudeness and she'd been nothing but. Instead, Elijah wiped away the water with a handkerchief, nodded briefly at her and left the room.

To make things worse, sleep was a luxury she could barely remember enjoying. Besides getting up to pee every five minutes, the babies were restless and spent hours moving and kicking inside her. One night after going to the bathroom for the fifth time Bonnie put on her robe and padded downstairs. Her back and hips were sore, there was a dull, throbbing ache at her temples and her feet were so swollen she could barely walk.

She painstakingly made her way to the sitting room only to find Elijah there. He was sitting cross-legged in a reading chair, half-full whiskey glass at his side, turning the pages of a hardcover book. For a split second she wanted to fix her hair, try and appear calm and presentable.

Then he said it, "Should you not be lying down?"

Her eye twitched. 'Lying down'. Who did he think he was? The family midwife?

"Actually," she said with exaggerated sweetness, "I have this craving, and you know what they say about pregnant women and their cravings."

He raised an eyebrow warily.

Bonnie crossed her arms, "I want, no, I absolutely _must_ have, fresh-picked strawberries in a little golden bowl, covered in Tristan's blood. Nothing else. Can you get me that?"

"Strawberries are not in season this time of year," he carefully bookmarked his page.

"If I don't have strawberries right this minute I'll throw myself on this floor and pull out my own hair."

"Just so I am clear, Tristan's blood is optional but it's the strawberries you really care about."

She narrowed her eyes and took a step so she was standing directly over him, "You're a condescending ass, you know that?"

His jaw moved in an amused smile, "I am perfectly aware of my limitations, but if enumerating them helps your mood, please, be my guest."

She flicked her wrist and a book flew off the shelf, narrowly missing his head. Her lips curled at the startled expression on his face. She decided she liked him startled.

"On second thought, I think I'll read for a while," she announced, walking along the shelves, waving her fingers and causing books to sail through the air. Elijah had organized these books meticulously. She knew because she'd caught him reprimanding Klaus multiple times for putting a volume in the wrong place.

"Oooh do you have any murder mysteries?" she glanced over her shoulder, "maybe here?" a sweep of her hand and an entire section spilled to the ground.

"Bonnie-,"

"Any suggestions?" she continued walking the length of the room, wreaking havoc on the shelves with casual ease.

Elijah was standing, watching her with a slight clench to his jaw.

"Ooh, what's up here," she fluttered her fingers at the top shelf where the old manuscripts were locked behind glass doors.

"Don't-,"

The doors flew open and centuries old tomes sailed through the air and scattered across the floor. When the dust settled she noted Elijah's tightly furious expression.

"Oops. Sorry, you know how these pregnancy hormones are."

He flashed to stand in front of her, and she watched him with baited breath, waiting, ready to snap back with words, her tongue poised like a switchblade.

The Original inclined his head and lowered his voice, "Behaving like him won't bring him back."

Silence stretched painfully thin between them. Somewhere a clock chimed, little drops of noise in the deep quiet.

"You don't know anything," she hissed, "you don't know anything about me-,"

Elijah pocketed his hand, "I know you blame yourself. That's what these...tantrums are really about, lashing out at people who care about you, so they'll be as angry with you as you are with yourself."

He was right of course. Klaus' fate shook her to the core. She'd always thought of herself as the protector, the one who went to any lengths to keep her loved one safe, and yet she'd been utterly helpless to prevent the love of her life being swept away like a speck of dust.

Elijah's words had all but stripped her naked, and she hastened to cover herself in any way she could. "At least I'm pregnant," she said in a cold voice, "what's your excuse for abandoning Klaus when he needed you?"

This time, she really did think she'd gone too far. Elijah's posture shifted subtly, and a shadow crossed his face. He opened his mouth but then cut himself off, exhaling sharply before adjusting his tie. "Say what you will, I won't be goaded into berating a woman with child."

It was like a bucket of ice water in her face. She seethed. Her headache grew worse, and there was a dull ache in her lower back spreading down her legs. "Of course you won't, because you're too good for that. You're too above all the rest of us," using her hand to support her own back, she started to limp away.

His expression showed confusion. She continued, "That's why you keep your distance, why you'll barely look at me most days, won't even condescend to get angry with me like a normal person-,"

All this time he'd maintained a cool aloofness, but suddenly she felt a firm grip on her elbow and Elijah was towering over her again, dark eyes searching her face for what she didn't know.

"You think," he said quietly, "that I have been avoiding you because I want to-,"

His sentence was cut off by Bonnie's sharp gasp. Pain doubled her over like the slice from a searing blade. There was a blow-like unclenching deep inside her, and suddenly she was soaking wet from the thighs down.

Elijah, who was was still holding on to her, looked down at the floor, "Oh dear God-,"

She didn't even have to see the fluid soaking into the rug and splattering Elijah's expensive shoes to realize what was happening. "...I think my water just broke."


	3. Chapter 3

_**New Orleans, Present Day**_

It was startling, how things had evolved in his absence. Klaus felt like a time traveller in the house that used to be his, in the city he'd lost twice, with the children he'd never dreamed of having, and the woman who was a once-in-a-lifetime (yes, even an immortal lifetime) kind of being.

They worked out a plan where he spent two days out of the week and a monthly weekend with the kids. Elijah and Bonnie had insisted on accompanying him for the first few. They claimed it would help the children acclimate but he knew better. They didn't know whether to trust him around Mirah and Mateo, and that hurt more than he would ever admit.

The children were shy around him at first, and that hurt too. He'd always thought that the love he felt for his siblings, twisted and tangled though it was through years of bitterness and betrayal, was the purest emotion he'd ever experience. Then, he met Bonnie, and it was like a new, strong branch springing to life on a broken tree. But what he felt the first time he saw the twins - like a punch to the gut, something that knocked the wind out of his lungs - _terrified_ him.

For the first time in years he found himself reliving his own childhood and Mikael's violent abuse, and every time he was near the twins he'd imagine someone hurting them and want to punch a wall. He wanted to rip the skin off anyone who even thought about doing them harm, and then he'd remember the way Bonnie had looked at him the time he'd slaughtered all those vampires in her name, and shame and fear would twist inside him like a knife.

There were days he didn't want to look in the mirror for fear that Mikael would be looking back.

"It gets easier," Bonnie told him one evening, "you just have to keep showing up."

Even the most innocuous words felt like cuts.

After he'd finally escaped from the icy tomb Tristan had trapped him in Klaus made sure to hunt him down and eliminate the threat to him and his family. He'd imagined a glorious homecoming, a secure city and a safe family that would welcome him with love and gratitude.

But then fear and paranoia had crept in. What if Tristan had allies? Allies that would follow him to Bonnie and the children? What if Bonnie blamed him for Tristan's actions? What if, like Mikael always said, he ruined everything? So the weeks turned into months and years and he still didn't return. The world thinking he was gone was strangely numbing at first, then slowly liberating. He was free to act without precondition. Make new choices. It was the closest he'd ever come to a clean slate.

"Klaus, Klaus!" Bonnie's voice was soft and urgent, "wake up."

His eyes flew open. Slowly, his surroundings came into view. He'd dozed off on the couch after Bonnie went upstairs to put the kids down.

"You okay?" her hand covered his, feeling the cold sweat, and immediately concern tinged her words, "you're shaking."

"I'm fine," he said roughly, sitting up and putting his feet on the floor. He hadn't had a nightmare in months. There was a time when he couldn't close his eyes without the sensation of suffocating under an icy ground.

"Just like Mirah," Bonnie continued, eyes searching his face, "she has night terrors sometimes."

Klaus rested his elbows on his knees, avoiding her gaze while he composed himself. "Do you know the cause?"

"No. Some things don't have an explanation. They just are."

He looked at her at last. A few curls had escaped her braid, drawing his attention to the curve of her throat. He remembered the feel of her pulse speeding up beneath his lips, the little gasp she'd make when he-

"Klaus?"

He cleared his throat, "I was...thinking."

She raised an eyebrow, but a smile twisted her lips, "About?"

He hastened to change the subject. "Why not let Mirah play in the studio with me tomorrow? I've been meaning to go in there myself."

"Sure, if you think you're studio can survive." she remarked wryly.

"It survived you," he pointed out before he could help himself. Bonnie threw a cushion at his face.

"Painting helped me when I was young," he said after a beat, "perhaps if she can approximate the colors of her nightmares, she can start being less afraid of them."

Bonnie gave him a strange look and then, without warning, hugged him. Klaus had never wanted time to freeze so badly as when he felt her arms around his neck. He tried not to inhale her scent too deeply or pull her too close. He almost failed. For a second, he would've kicked every clean slate to the curb just to kiss her again.

He pulled away first, doggedly ignoring the fact that he could pick up on her increased heartbeat.

"Goodnight, love."

There was a pause, then she mumbled," 'night," stood up and hurried away.

Two months later they found themselves alone again. Elijah was in Europe tying up some loose ends with the Strix (Klaus had the sneaking suspicion his brother was avoiding either him or Bonnie or both, but, selfishly, held his tongue). The kids had all but put themselves to bed after a vigorous game of hide and seek. An uncharacteristically chilly storm was blowing outside and they were halfway through a second bottle of wine.

The conversation was comfortable and focused on the children. Mirah was turning out five or more finger-painting masterpieces everyday now. After their refrigerator quickly ran out of surface, Klaus had renovated one of the mansion's many guest rooms into a mini gallery for her. She was sleeping better and talking about going to art camp for the summer. Mateo was still shy around him, but the other day Klaus showed him how to make kites and there was talk of going to the park next week.

The terror of failing them was still strong, but Bonnie assured him that was a normal side-effect of parenting.

A flash of thunder and lightning made her jump and unconsciously scoot closer to him on the couch. She wasn't afraid of storms so much as overly sensitive to them; something about her being a witch and tapped into nature. He should've moved away right then, should've left the room and bid her goodnight.

Bonnie leaned her head on his shoulder and he froze. When she didn't move away he tentatively put his arm around her and they sat there, quiet and close. Then, she gave a sigh like she'd been holding something in for a long time, and melted against him. Klaus gathered her in his arms, wanting to absorb the feel of her.

Long moments slipped by. He rubbed slow circles on her back and stroked her hair, trailed the tip of his nose along her neck and ears. She smelled like strawberry ice cream. God, he'd waited so long to touch her like this, be close to her like this. He thought he'd be ravenous with want and that he wouldn't be able to stop himself from tearing her clothes off, but instead he was bowled over the by the need to simply enjoy her, savor her closeness, the small puffs of her breath, the way she responded to his touch.

They ended up lengthwise on the couch.

It felt like they'd been doing this forever, like the past few years melted where skin touched skin.

Bonnie tugged at the hem of his shirt and he pulled it off. Her green eyes were soft and her lips swollen from their kisses. Klaus wanted to tell her how fucking gorgeous she was, but the words stuck in his throat. She skimmed her fingers over his chest like she was committing him to memory, pausing at the new tattoo on his right shoulder.

"What kind of bird is that?"

"An albatross," he angled his head to kiss her fingers, "for journeys."

Suddenly she was crying. "You promised," was all she said, "you promised."

He'd never really been good with other people's tears, and hers were another matter altogether. So he awkwardly wiped the drops away with his thumb, "I'm not worth your tears, love."

Instead of pushing him away Bonnie tightened her arms around him and wept into his shoulder. And he had the sudden, startling realization that she wanted him to comfort her, that maybe in that moment he was the only one who could, and that his presence and touch were enough of themselves.

Sitting up slowly, he pulled her onto his lap and held her through the last of her tears. Not knowing when he'd ever be this close to her again, he kissed every inch of exposed skin. When his lips lingered on her shoulder, the scent of her neck made him shudder.

She drew the hunger out in him so simply. He could feel his eyes darkening the longer he stared at the curve of her throat, the longer her pulse pounded in his head. To Bond with someone meant you and only you had the right to drink their blood, and Klaus had drunk from her plenty of times, usually at the height of their lovemaking when the bite would send them both over the edge into frenzy. But he didn't want the dizziness of ecstasy tonight. He wanted this clear-headed passion, this steady flame of loving her and feeling her love him. He wanted to remember this moment.

"Klaus...," she whispered, sensing the direction of his thoughts.

He played with the loose curls around her ear, unable to move his eyes from her neck.

"He's never drunk from me," she said slowly, "no one else has, only you."

"Send me away," he murmured, brushing his mouth across her skin, "now, love."

She shook her head over and over, gripping his arms tight enough to leave moon-shaped marks, "I won't. I _can't_."

With one hand she swept her hair off her shoulder, exposing her neck even more. The other one curled into his nape and drew him towards her.

His fangs descended of their own volition, penetrating soft flesh, making her gasp. The moment he tasted her blood he was lost, eyes dragging shut, senses humming, every cell in his body electrifying.

"Nik," she sighed, stroking the back of his head.

He'd told her once that he would gladly be the monster, for her sake. And yet in that moment, drinking from her, holding her, feeling her, Klaus had never felt more human.

* * *

 _ **Santorini, Greece, 3 years ago**_

"You're worried about them."

Bonnie toyed with her napkin and gave Elijah a rueful look, "It's that obvious huh?"

His expression was amused, "Since we sat down to breakfast you've glanced at your phone no less than fifteen times."

"Oh god," she slumped down in her chair as he poured her more fresh orange juice, "I swore I wouldn't be one of those moms."

Elijah quirked an eyebrow, "Spending every waking moment consumed with worry for those you care about? Doesn't sound like you at all."

She threw a roll at him. He caught it of course and set it neatly down beside his fruit. His eyes remained on her however. "It's good to see you smile."

Bonnie shrugged off the compliment and attacked some of her eggs. She realized now why Elijah spent so much time being aloof and distant: few people could withstand the steady intensity of his full attention. He had a way of drawing things out of you and off you so you felt quite naked.

"It's beautiful here," she said after a few bites. They were staying in a villa overlooking the sapphire-blue Mediterranean, eating breakfast on a balcony with cascades of bright bougainvillea flowers. The perfect honeymoon location.

"I'm glad you think so. This is one of my favorite places." Elijah seemed at home under the Grecian sun. With his dark hair and fluent Greek he looked like he belonged here.

She felt bad for incessantly worrying about Mirah and Mateo, after all they were safely housed in the compound in New Orleans with Freya, Bekah and Marcel to protect them, and she'd left detailed instructions about their care. But a thousand little things had started gnawing her the moment they got in the car for the airport. Would they be confused and sad when she was gone for more than two days? Would they be able to sleep? Would Freya remember that Mirah needed lavender in her bath at night? Were they making sure that Mateo had his stuffed bunny with him at all times?

Bonnie spent the first night of their honeymoon falling asleep on Skype with her babies, and two days later she still couldn't stop thinking about them. She was in a beautiful country with rich food and richer culture, accompanied by a man who turned heads wherever he went for his suave good looks (she'd caught the admiring glances of both men and women directed his way when they'd walked around the market) and all she could concentrate on were feeding schedules and bedtime stories.

Elijah, ever the gentleman, indulged her. She felt guilty, he'd clearly gone to a lot of trouble to arrange a beautiful honeymoon, but how much of it was for her and how much proving to their enemies that the Mikaelson-Bennett alliance was as strong as ever? This wasn't a "real" marriage after all, just a stipulation of the laws of Bonding in the vampire world.

"Seems we have visitors," Elijah interrupted her reverie. A black car had pulled up below.

"We weren't expecting anyone," Bonnie frowned, instantly on alert.

She followed Elijah downstairs and the front door flung open.

For a second Bonnie blinked in disbelief, then rushed towards her sister-in-law with a squeal of delight. Freya stood there, a baby in each arm.

Bonnie showered their faces with kisses then turned to Elijah with two armfuls of toddler, who was watching them with a serenely satisfied look on his face.

"You're behind this," she accused playfully.

"Hey, I'm the one who just flew two toddlers across an ocean. A little thanks?" Freya looked at her brother, who inclined his head.

Bonnie thanked her sister in law who promptly headed to the restroom while the twins waddled over to Elijah, making gurgly sounds that sounded like "Da"

She watched him gather the children in his arms and something tugged at her heart.

"You knew about this all along," she said, watching him.

"I knew I wanted to see you smile," he replied.

Impulsively, she walked up and kissed him. For a second he stiffened from the unexpected contact, then, tilting his head he brushed his lips softly over hers, a caress all the more sensual for its restraint.

She saw the surprise and heat in his dark eyes when they parted. Bonnie touched the side of his face, "You've given me a lot to smile about."

She didn't quite realize how much she'd come to rely on Elijah until a month later, during the Mikaelson winter ball. It was a tradition that Freya had suggested reviving to present a united front to their enemies. It was also a diversion to gather everyone under one roof while Elijah dealt with a cache of Strix members hiding out in the city.

"I'm worried about him." Bonnie whispered to Freya as they sipped their champagne in a corner of the room.

"Relax, Elijah can handle himself."

"I should've gone with him instead of playing dress up here."

"You're exactly where you need to be, keeping everyone distracted while Elijah finishes the job," Freya said coolly, "look sharp, here comes one now."

William Grant was an ambitious werewolf new to New Orleans. A little too ambitious for Bonnie's taste. He approached her now with an ingratiating smile and an extended hand, "May I have this dance, Ms Bennett?"

"Of course," she faked a bright smile and, handing her glass to Freya, allowed him to lead her onto the floor.

"Or is it Bennett-Mikaelson? I could never keep up," William said casually.

Bonnie recognized the slight for what it was, "Please, don't hurt yourself trying."

He narrowed his eyes, "And where pray tell is your new _husband_ this evening? Last I heard you were still searching for the old one-,"

"Excuse me William but I'm afraid I must cut in."

Elijah had appeared beside them, looking fresh off the pages of GQ in a dark suit and laconic expression. He smoothly maneuvered Bonnie into his arms and, with a cool nod at William, moved her around the floor.

"Did he upset you?," he murmured when they were out of William's earshot.

Bonnie kept her demeanor calm, "It doesn't matter. Did you find them?"

Elijah frowned, noticing her tight grip on his arm like she couldn't believe he was real. "All twelve. Rest assured, they'll trouble us no more."

"Twelve?" her eyes widened, "that's way more than we expected."

"The element of surprise worked in my favor. And being an Original wasn't exactly a handicap."

Relief flooded through her, made tangy with her earlier fear for his safety. She forced herself to remain composed while he lead her around the floor, to relax into the comforting assurance of his presence.

Later that night when the guests had long departed and the necessary family debrief was had, they found themselves alone in the parlor. Bonnie threw herself into his arms and Elijah gathered her close. "You're trembling," he noted quietly, running his hands down her back in slow, soothing motions.

She laughed shakily, resting her cheek on his lapel and breathing in the faint, clean scent of his aftershave. "I was worried about you. You shouldn't have gone alone."

"Alone is how I work best," he said quietly into her hair, "call it self-preservation."

She waited for him to clarify.

"If no one I care about is nearby, I can act with impunity, without worry for their safety."

"I'm a Bennett witch. I can handle myself."

He pulled back to look at her, cupping her cheek, "Call it strategy then. I prefer to hide my weaknesses at all times."

The way he was looking at her made it difficult to breathe, that clear and unwavering look so quintessentially Elijah, and yet with a tinge of intensity she'd never seen before.

"Is that what I am?" she managed, "a weakness?"

His throat moved as he swallowed. the pad of his thumb resting at at the corner of her mouth.

Something small and soft flung itself against Bonnie's legs, rustling the silver-blue layers of her dress and breaking the tension in the air. "Mama." Mirah hugged her knee, blinking up at her with wide, bright eyes.

Together they took her upstairs and laid her down again. Between Elijah's bedtime-story voice, and Bonnie's use of a calming spell, the girl was soon asleep.

Elijah paused at the entrance to Bonnie's room. He'd never tried to share her bed, even though they were married, or Bonded, as far as the supernatural community was concerned.

She played with his loosened collar, and the word slipped out before she realized it, "Stay."

That scorchingly open look came over his face again. His eyes drifted to her mouth and she swayed into him. The kiss was soft at first then it wasn't. Bonnie wrapped her arms around his neck as he pushed her gently against the door. All the worry and fear from earlier in the evening was melting against him, and she never wanted to stop.

"Stay," she whispered against his mouth, skimming her hands over his chest. He covered her neck with hot kisses, pressing her tightly against him. Bonnie could feel his weakening resolve and it made her light-headed.

"Stay, Elijah," she said again, softly, tugging on his collar. The sound of his name was like a key turning. Their mouths sought each other hungrily as they stumbled backwards into her room. A trail of clothes followed them to the bed. He touched her like a man in a fever dream afraid he would wake up to nothing.

She laughed and used her magic to flip them so she was on top. He gazed at her with a mix of wonderment and desire that made her lower belly tighten. Putting her hands on his chest she rode him slowly then faster, chipping away at his restraint, watching him come apart piece by piece.

"Do you trust me?" she breathed, lowering her head so her hair tickled his chest.

"Yes...,"

She kissed him hard, biting his lower lip and drawing a growl from his throat, "Then trust me. Don't hold back."

In a blink she was on her back again, Elijah having moved at vampire speed. His eyes grew pure-black, dark veins visible around them.

She'd never seen him like this. It was intoxicating.

"I might hurt you...," he rasped, his hands tight around her wrists like he was enjoying her and warning her at the same time.

"I might want you to," she found herself saying. All the worry and tension from the night, all the worry and fear of the past few years, she wanted them shaken out of her, to break against the one solid thing in her life.

* * *

 _ **New Orleans, Present Day**_

Elijah straightened up, closing the lid on his leather suitcase.

Bonnie stood there feeling the world slipping out from beneath her feet again. It was like she was back on that Swiss mountain. She refused to go through the same hell twice. Determination and anger flooded through her.

"And what do I tell the twins when they ask where you are?"

He looked away, pocketing his hand, "I am sure they will acclimate to their natural father soon enough."

"I can't even _begin_ to describe how much is wrong with that sentence."

"Niklaus is their father, and your rightful husband. There's nothing preventing you from having the family you always wanted."

"You're part of that family- " she wanted to scream in frustration and cry at the same time.

"So you harbor no feelings towards him?" Elijah asked in that detached, rhetorical way like he already knew the answer.

Bonnie raised her chin, "I won't lie to you. Yes, I have feelings for Klaus. Yes, he's their father. But you," she paused, stepping closer to him, "you helped me raise them for six years. You were there when they took their first steps, you've read them bedtime stories every night. You're their hero. Nothing can change that."

Elijah took a deep breath, reining in the emotions that flickered across his face, "Those things...were never mine to begin with."

He crossed the room to stand before her, brushing her hair back from her neck and resting his fingers on the same place Klaus' fangs had been a week ago. Her skin burned where he touched. "You were never mine to take."

"Elijah-"

"The laws of Bonding required that I Bind myself to you in the instance of my brother's death. They make no allowance for the dead returning, so I must forge my own choice. The right choice."

"What are you saying?"

"Niklaus is alive and well, and cares for you, differently than he's ever cared for anyone. I've watched him with the children and with you. He should take his rightful place in this city, and at your side."

His words, so precise and calm, got under her skin like a knife. She had the urge to throw books at his head like all those years ago the night she'd gone into labor. He'd held her hand through the worst of the pains, told her to grip as hard as she needed. She'd relied on his composed strength then, now it made her want to kick something. Bonnie shook off his hand and edged away from him.

"So that's it? It all comes down to the "laws of Bonding"? That all that Mirah and Mateo were to you? Responsibilities you couldn't avoid?"

"Don't-"

"Was making love to me just an obligation too?"

His nostrils flared as her words found their mark. Something barely restrained flashed in his dark eyes but he said nothing. She had the strangest sense of deja vu, transported to a drunken night when she'd asked him to dance and he'd coolly rebuffed her.

"You were supposed to choose me," he said suddenly, with a vehemence that startled her.

There was a rough edge to his voice like his control was slipping ever so slightly, "When you first crossed paths with me and my brother, did you think it was only Niklaus who noticed you? You think I did not see your fire, your beauty, your courage, and want you for myself?"

She was trying to digest what he was saying, fitting the pieces of a larger puzzle, "But you were always so distant...you barely spoke to me."

"You brought my brother happiness, and in doing so united my siblings in a way that we had not been for centuries." He paused, then said quietly, "Loving you from afar seemed a small price to pay."

Her mind was racing, filling in gaps, aligning images so that everything she thought she knew suddenly made a different kind of sense. "Did... Klaus know?"

"There were times I wondered. And other times I-," he broke off, pinching the bridge of his nose briefly like he was ashamed of himself, "In a thousand years I have never wished to trade places with my brother. Until you."

"With the Bonding law-,"

"That law means _nothing_ to me _,_ " Elijah said fiercely, "understand this, Bonnie: I would have done the same for any of my brothers' wives should the necessity have arisen, but _you_...I needed no ancient law to remind me of what I'd wanted in silence for years."

"So now you want to turn back the clock, go back to just being the noble older brother?"

Elijah frowned, "What I want, is for you and Niklaus to be happy."

"No. No you don't get to do this to me. You and Klaus don't get to just-," her head was spinning, thoughts swooping in and out of her mind like furious birds. She took a deep breath and waited for the sky to clear. "The twins need to get out of the city anyway until Turner and his werewolves are gone. I'm gonna stay with Lucy for a while."

Without giving him a chance to respond she swept out of the room, holding her tears in check until much later when Mirah and Mateo were asleep next to her in the backseat of a taxi and she could, at last, cry both for the things she'd lost and the things she never knew were hers.


	4. Chapter 4

_**New Orleans, 6 years ago**_

The two brothers staggered arm in arm up the stairs of the compound, Klaus pausing intermittently to bolt out lines from an old Norse tavern song.

"Brother, please. The shrieking street cats are enough of a menace to the city's ears."

Klaus came to a dead stop on the stairs, looking comically insulted, "Are you suggesting, brother, that I cannot hold a tune?"

"Or your drink, it would seem," Elijah replied, though not without a grin.

"Nonsense," Klaus waved his arm, nearly hitting Elijah in the face, "I can drink you under the table any day of the week."

"And yet our current situation might suggest otherwise."

"Our current situation is simply me honoring tradition."

"And what tradition would that be Niklaus," Elijah looped an arm around him and continued walking up the stairs, "the tradition of getting thrown out of every establishment within a ten mile radius?"

Klaus threw back his head in laughter. His tousled curly hair and twinkling eyes gave him an air of almost carefree mischief Elijah had not seen since before they were vampires. He felt a twinge in his chest, knowing what he had to say.

"The tradition, Elijah, is getting hammered with one's best man the night before one's wedding."

"Of course. "

They made it to Klaus' bedroom where he swayed against his sibling, "I can't bloody believe I'm getting married."

"A sentiment shared by us all, I assure you." He put his hands on Klaus shoulders and maneuvered him into a chair.

"Don't be jealous, brother. I am sure you can induce a woman into matrimony if you tried hard enough. Perhaps I can introduce -,"

"No. Thank you, Niklaus." He didn't mean to sound so stern, but his love life was the last thing Elijah wanted to discuss, especially when the reason for him being single was so intimately tied to his brother.

"Suit yourself," Klaus stretched out his legs.

"Besides, there's something I wanted to talk to you about," he took a deep breath and forged ahead, "After you and Bonnie are Bonded I plan to...leave for while."

Klaus was immediately alert, "Leave? Where to? Why?"

Elijah sighed, he was hoping the alcohol and his brother's expansive mood would've eased things. "I have some friends in Barcelona that are long overdue for a visit. This city is safely yours now." _Yours and Bonnie's._

"That's absurd," Klaus sat up, expressive blue eyes searching Elijah's. His younger brother had always been that way, ever since they were boys: his heart on his sleeve and a world of entreaty on his face. "We're finally a family, all of us. Why would you leave us now?" Klaus voice almost took on a pleading note, even as it left unsaid what they were both thinking. Why would you leave _me_ now?

 _Because lingering here, being around her, is a torment I have grown too fond of. Because I need you to believe I am better than this._

Elijah sighed, sitting heavily down on the bed. "This is not personal, Niklaus. I simply need a change of air."

"And the family needs you here, we always have."

His hands tightened on his knees. "That may have been the case once, but you and Bonnie are both strong together. I trust in what you two are building." He paused, "I am less indispensable than you imagine."

Klaus frowned, looking so much like a boy denied his favorite food that Elijah almost laughed, "Don't look so put out, Niklaus."

His brother harrumphed. "If you don't visit regularly I'll fly to Spain myself and ruin your reputation at your favorite bars."

Elijah stood, ruffling his brother's hair affectionately. "Do so and I will fly back to personally set your new studio on fire."

Klaus leaned into the touch, nuzzling Elijah's hand and looking up at him with those impish, almost-innocent eyes.

Moments like this Elijah understood how Bonnie could fall in love with his brother. Even as a human there was something about Klaus that drew people to him, a careless golden kind of aura. Mikael had blighted that, and vampirism had twisted it, but every so often the sun came out from behind the clouds and you couldn't abandon him, not just yet, not forever.

"You'll be back once you realize how much you miss my company," Klaus said with quiet triumph as though reading his mind. His warm breath ghosted over Elijah's hand, "You always do."

Elijah smiled indulgently down at him, running his thumb along Klaus' cheekbone while the latter grinned into his caress, knowing he was right.

* * *

 _ **New Orleans, 2 years ago**_

"Either I have been misinformed about the auditory capacities of werewolves or you, William, are determined to wilfully antagonize the Council."

"This Council is a pack of lies, pun intended," William sneered, making Bonnie wish she could set him on fire, "my wolves and I have as much right to hybrid blood as you-,"

"And if my brother were here, you could take that matter up with him," Elijah said evenly.

"How are we sure he is not?"

Bonnie interrupted, "Klaus is gone."

All heads turned to her as her words hung in the air. "We aren't hiding him in the catacombs if that's what you're thinking. But if you wanna search the sewers and pipes don't let me stop you."

William gave her an insolent, calculating kind of look. "That won't be necessary. Besides, we don't need the _original_ hybrid."

Bonnie felt Elijah's hand grasp hers under the table and it was the only thing that prevented her from magically peeling the skin off William's face. "I _know_ you're not referring to my children."

"According to the werewolf laws of this city, their blood-,"

"Those laws no longer apply here," Elijah stated flatly.

"Was that the council's decision? Or yours?"

An uncomfortable stirring rippled around table and Bonnie recognized what William was doing. He was trying to make her and the Mikaelsons look like nepotists and despots so he could sway the council in his favor.

Marcel intervened, "We can't vote on changing laws unless there's a majority," he looked knowingly at the others, then back at William, "and you don't have one."

An ugly look came over the werewolf's face, but he composed himself and rose from the table. "This isn't over."

Elijah stood, facing William squarely, "I think it is."

Bonnie watched the council members disperse with a queasy feeling in her stomach. She hurried upstairs to the playroom where Freya was reading to the twins. As soon as they saw their mother their faces lit up. Bonnie felt her chest clench. Elijah came up behind her, rubbing her shoulder and brushing his lips against her hair. "No harm will come to them, I promise you."

She leaned into him, letting his presence comfort her, but the uneasy feeling refused to settle fully. Klaus had promised her things too, a lifetime ago it seemed. If he were here, William's head would be decorating their dining table at this very moment. She almost laughed at the thought. Every so often she felt his presence, like the phantom ache of a missing limb. She wondered if Elijah felt the same.

* * *

 _ **New Orleans, Present Day**_

"I'm going after her," Klaus scanned the rain-soaked forest for any sign of the werewolves they were supposedly hunting.

"She wants some time away," Elijah pointed out, stepping gracefully over a fallen log, "from both of us."

"I suppose you're the expert on her feelings," Klaus didn't bother to keep the sarcasm from his voice.

"I do not wish to quarrel with you, Niklaus."

"Oh by all means, let's avoid a _quarrel_ ," Klaus threw up his hands, "not like this is a quarreling matter, we've been in this situation before."

Elijah's composure twitched ever so slightly, "This is different. Bonnie is different."

"She chose me first," Klaus interjected, fishing for a rise out of Elijah. He was tired of feeling shut out by the latter's stoicism. "not you, me: the bastard."

"Which is why I've offered to leave. So you two can be together."

Klaus blinked, taken aback. A memory nagged him, and suddenly it was like a lamp coming alive in a dark room. His arm shot out, stopping Elijah in his tracks. "You left once before, after Bonnie and I were Bonded. Why?"

Elijah sighed, rubbing his temples. He didn't just look tired, he looked worn, like he'd been carrying something heavy uphill for a long time. "Niklaus, I said I don't wish to argue-,"

Klaus shoved him against a tree with a hand on his chest. "I don't give a damn what you want. Answer me."

Elijah simply looked at him, dark eyes open and pleading in a way that almost disarmed Klaus. "I tried to do the right thing," he said, quietly. "I tried, brother."

"You were in love with her all along," Klaus gave a bitter smile, "how very Biblical of you."

"It isn't something I am proud of, Niklaus."

Placing his hands on either side of Elijah, Klaus put his face next to the latter's, "Tell me how it felt, being in the wrong."

"What is the point of this? If you wish to dredge up pieces of the past for your amusement, be my guest, but-"

He made to move but Klaus shoved him back against the tree. "We're not finished, brother."

"Remove your hand, Niklaus," Elijah said coolly. Only Elijah could say his name with that particular inflection of familiarity and command.

"Make me," Klaus challenged. For as long as he could remember he'd craved his brother's attention, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Elijah was like a mirror he hated looking into and couldn't look away from, a torture so familiar it felt like home.

"I am not doing this," Elijah lowered his voice to a steely tenor that Klaus recognized as a mask his brother only wore when he was particularly perturbed. _Good. I'm tired of your armor. I want you to see me, see how I can love Bonnie, how I can be as good as you. See me Elijah. She does._

"Oh I think you are. You don't get to walk away unscathed. Not from this."

Elijah gripped his wrist, steel on steel, and Klaus felt a thrill of triumph. _Finally._

"As always, Niklaus, you mistake restraint for coldness. If we all threw our emotions around like you we'd have been dead centuries ago."

Klaus felt his lip curl in a sneer, "And as always you blame me for our family's sins. I, the bastard child, am to carry the weight of every evil deed, every mistake, every terrible choice-,"

"You think you're the only one that's had to carry these burdens?" Elijah shook him off so suddenly Klaus almost stumbled backwards. "As soon as you were free from our parents clutches you did exactly as _you_ pleased, with no thought for any of us. And yet you've always had my protection, and my love, even when you least deserved it!"

Klaus gave a slow, humorless laugh, "That's what all this is about. What you think I _deserve_. You've always been the arbiter of that, haven't you?"

Elijah ran an exasperated hand through his hair, "Your obtuseness has truly outdone itself this time."

Klaus opened his mouth to respond when he felt a prickle at the base of his scalp.

William Grant stood in front of them surrounded by a pack of twelve or more wolves. "Sorry to intrude, boys. I'm sure you have _plenty_ more to talk about."

Elijah stepped in front of Klaus, buttoning his suit jacket, "Ah, William. I thought I recognized your foul stench."

The smarmy werewolf cracked his neck, "Good to see you too, Mikaelson. You ready to negotiate some hybrid blood?"

Elijah chuckled, "So you're even more foolish than I first imagined. Truly remarkable."

Klaus eyed the pack of upstarts. So these were the wolves trying to mount a coup against the Mikaelson family. He could make swift work of them, but Elijah seemed to have other plans.

"C'mon mate. You can keep the children," William drawled, "why not just hand _him_ over? Have that saucy little witch all to yourself again?"

Klaus saw red. That this derelict son of a bitch would dare to even think about putting Bonnie's name in his mouth-

"Don't, Niklaus," Elijah's hand barred him from tearing into the werewolf's face.

"From what I heard just now," William continued, "she's got both of your cocks on her little leash-,"

Klaus saw a dark-haired blur, then a spray of blood. Elijah stood behind William Grant's headless body, an almost elegant splatter of crimson decorating his blue shirt. There was a thud as the latter's severed head fell to the floor.

A slow grin was spreading across Klaus' face.

"Anyone else?" Elijah asked casually.

Any other pack of wolves would've fled, but Grant had these idiots all riled up. So instead they attacked.

Klaus had to admit, they were a ferocious lot. He almost felt sorry for them, but they'd threatened his family, and there was no other recourse. He pulled out heart after heart, tossing them on the ground like rotting apples. He glanced over at his brother who was handling business with his characteristic brand of ruthless finesse. This was the Elijah he knew and loved, the smoldering embers beneath a calm surface.

"Behind you!" his brother cried out a warning and Klaus moved just in time to avoid the wolf barreling towards him with a wooden stake. He was dead before he hit the ground.

That moment cost Elijah. Klaus saw another desperate wolf fling himself onto Elijah's back, sinking his teeth into the Original's arm.

In a flash, Klaus had the wolf's heart in his hand. The pack lay dead around them.

Elijah staggered to his feet, blood pouring from the poisoned wound on his arm.

The brothers stared at each other, breathing hard.

Elijah didn't say a word, waiting for Klaus with a peculiar look on his face. Klaus realized with shock that his brother half-expected him to deny him his blood, to let him perish right here in these woods.

"I envy you," Elijah blurted, "Always have."

Klaus opened and closed his mouth, stunned.

"You were brave, Niklaus. In a way I never tried to be."

 _Brave_. No one had ever called him that, he'd never even tried the word on for size. Klaus had always seen himself as doing what was necessary to survive, to take for himself those things that others deemed unfit for a bastard hybrid abomination. But brave... the word conjured a tremulous warmth in his chest, a feeling that took him back to the night he and Bonnie were Bonded, when she'd looked up at him with those sweet glowing eyes and promised to be his forever.

"She was the first time it all felt worth it," Klaus heard himself say, "everything I'd done, everything I was. She gave me purpose, more than that she...gave me meaning." He paused and looked at Elijah again.

Elijah gave him a knowing look, "Loving her...it was never a choice."

Their eyes locked in a sense of understanding that had eluded them for centuries before a spasm of pain passed over Elijah's face. Klaus swiftly rolled up the sleeve of his Henley and offered his brother his bleeding wrist.

Elijah grasped his hand and a wicked glint entered his eyes. Before Klaus could think, his brother had _him_ pressed up against a tree, his back to Elijah's chest. Klaus laughed, a sound that quickly turned into something else entirely when he felt his brother's teeth pierce his neck.

Elijah drank the way he did everything else, with precision and powerful determination. He simply _took_ what he wanted; it was a kind of refined and imperturbable control that Klaus only struggled against half-heartedly, something so beautiful it demanded nothing less than surrender. He felt his whole body shudder as Elijah's arm tightened around his waist, not letting him fall, holding him firm, and his brother's thoughts flooded his consciousness just as his blood was flowing over Elijah's tongue.

 _And you. Loving you was a choice I made too many times to count._

* * *

 ** _New Orleans, a few months later_**

Bonnie glanced in the mirror one last time, adjusting the dark-green sequin bordered dress over her hips. Christmas Eve was upon them and truth be told she was somewhat worried about whatever was waiting for her downstairs.

The only sounds that floated upstairs were the faint strains of _Silent Night_. In other words, it was far too quiet.

There was a knock at the bedroom door and she opened it to find Mirah and Mateo in their matching holiday sweaters.

"Momma, you're taking a long time," Mateo said so simply that Bonnie had to laugh.

"Pretty!" Mirah exclaimed, her round eyes fascinated by the sequins.

Bonnie took their hands and walked towards the stairwell, "Let's see what daddy and pappa are up to. Have they burned down the kitchen yet?"

"No," Mateo skipped along, "chef lady brought a whole a bunch of food. And pappa gave me cookies!"

"Matiiiii! it was a secret," his sister glared at him. Bonnie rolled her eyes, of course Klaus would order food instead of cooking and then try to buy the kids' silence with cookies.

"What's daddy doing?"

"He's making a fire!" Mirah said proudly.

Bonnie came downstairs to find a beautifully decorated dining room. Klaus was laying the table (she rolled her eyes again) while Elijah was proudly surveying the roaring fire in their hearth.

Both brothers looked up as she appeared. Mirah rushed to Elijah's side, exclaiming about roasting marshmellows (Elijah gave Bonnie a look that said "what on earth does she mean" and Bonnie giggled). She picked up Mateo and strolled over to where Klaus was folding napkins.

"Hungry, love?"

"Starving. I assume the caterers used the back door?" she said archly.

Klaus glanced from Mateo to her then back to his son, "I thought we had a deal, mate."

"Stop trying to conspire against me with my own child!"

The hybrid grinned and stole a kiss anyway. Bonnie grumbled (but kissed him back).

During dinner she took a moment to glance around the candle-lit table and her heart grew so full of happiness it almost hurt.

Elijah caught her eye and they shared a knowing look. Involuntarily, her hand strayed to Klaus' ring hanging from a chain of white-gold around her neck.

* * *

 _ **Later that night**_

"A plague on Santa and his little minions, may he ride that ridiculous "one horse sleigh" straight to the gates of Hades."

"I take it the kids didn't wanna go to sleep," Bonnie said wryly, getting up from her window chair and putting her book away.

Elijah gave an exaggerated sigh and started unbuttoning his shirt, "And they will most likely wake at the first crack of dawn. Why are we perpetuating this absurd American holiday myth-,"

He turned around and saw her properly.

Bonnie savored the way his eyes trailed up and down her body. She was wearing a luxurious red silk robe that was an early Christmas gift from Klaus. Elijah's lip curled slightly as he took her in and she felt her nipples hardening underneath the bright silk.

"You were saying?" she teased.

There was a whoosh of air and suddenly she was lying on the bed, Elijah's hands on either side of her and the robe falling open across her thighs. "Perhaps" he murmured, kissing her throat, her shoulder, between her breasts, skimming his fingers up her leg, "I need to rethink my opinions of Christmas". Despite her best intentions Bonnie felt herself arching into him.

"Starting the festivities without me? Tsk tsk tsk."

Klaus appeared in the bathroom doorway, naked and dripping wet, using a towel to dry his messy blond hair. He flashed them a dimpled smile, clearly appreciating the view.

Elijah propped himself up on an elbow, "Come now brother, we would never exclude you from Yuletide customs," he said slyly.

Bonnie used Elijah's momentary distraction to slip from his grasp and drag out the boxes and bags from Macy's and Toys R Us she'd hidden under the bed. Ignoring their incredulous looks, she dropped the haul triumphantly atop the covers. "Speaking of Yuletide customs..."

"You've got to be joking," Klaus stared from the boxes to her, "when did you even procure all this?"

"Nevermind that. We have to get these wrapped up and under the tree before the babies wake up in say-," she checked the clock, "- four or five hours."

Both Originals groaned.

"Can't we have some fun first, love" Klaus sidled up to her and traced her hip, "'tis the season of merriment."

Bonnie swatted his hand away and swept to the closet where she unloaded a box of wrapping supplies. Another set of groans followed.

She twirled the sash of her robe flirtatiously, "Can't unwrap _this_ , until we wrap _these_ ,"

The brothers exchanged a look, then leaped into action. Klaus was dressed in a flash. Elijah started opening bags.

"Unhand the scissors, Niklaus."

"Over my cold, dead corpse. You lack the artistic skills for this endeavor."

"Perhaps if I artistically hang you above the fireplace-,"

"Less chatting, more wrapping brother-,"

Bonnie stifled a laugh, watching the gifts get wrapped in record time. It was almost too easy.

She knew there would be other fights they'd face, other Williams and Tristan's who'd wish them and their children harm, other forces that would try to tear them apart and from the city they'd claimed as their own. But for the first time since she'd set foot in New Orleans she no longer felt like promises were her only defense against the worst that could happen.

"You are wasting yards of paper-,"

"I am making art."

"Niklaus, you are wrapping children's gifts, not painting the Sistine Chapel."

"Bonnie, love, could you please explain to this dullard that _I_ have a process-,"

"Oh for God's sake-,"

Instead, she had something much more tangible.

Chuckling, Bonnie curled back up in her chair and picked up her book. Maybe next year she'd pay for gift wrapping.

 **~The End~**

* * *

 **A/N: If anyone's interested, my face claim for William is Martin Freeman. I hope y'all had as much fun reading this as I did writing it. This my first ever OT3 fic and I'm so happy I get to share it with the lovely family that is the Bonnie Bennett fandom. Please let me know your thoughts in the reviews! I'm also working on a fanmix for this story that'll be up on Tumblr. Thanks for reading, and season's blessings to you and yours! xoxoxox**


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